Hardwood floors are extremely durable and very easy to keep clean. When thinking of how to clean a hardwood floor most people will simply use organic dish soap that they add to some warm water and then put into a spray bottle. They will keep this on-hand within easy reach to use if something gets spilled onto the floor. Then, it’s just a squirt and a quick wipe with a cloth. Whenever you are using water on any kind of wood floor, though, be sure to always wipe it dry immediately. Leaving standing water on a wood floor will be the end of it in no time. Despite the fact that nearly every hardwood floor is protected with a finishing coat of polyurethane, water should still not be allowed to remain on its surface for any length of time.
A hardwood floor which has been sealed with wax instead of polyurethane will be more difficult to care for and more difficult to clean.
When thinking about how to clean a hardwood floor, there are only a few tools you will need to have on hand before you start. These include a good mop, a good supply of white vinegar and some warm water.
That’s really all you need! But when trying to figure out how to clean a hardwood floor the first thing you need to determine is the type of solution you should use. If your hardwood floor has been sealed with a polyurethane finish, you really only need ¼ cup of white vinegar to 1 quart of warm water. If your hardwood floor has a waxed finish, using plain water will do the job very nicely.
The first step in how to clean a hardwood floor is to vacuum all the dirt from the floors surface. Try to keep your hardwood floors as free from dirt and grit as possible because these substances will scratch your floor. You really should only mop the floor when the dirt and grit can not be removed by vacuuming or sweeping.
The next step in how to clean a hardwood floor is to damp mop it. Take care not to saturate the floor with water. If this happens, it can seep down into the cracks and into the baseboards and cause damage. Be sure to dry your floor thoroughly after you have mopped it. If you are worried about how to clean a hardwood floor remember that any liquid spills should always be cleaned up immediately. It is much easier to maintain a hardwood floor than it is to clean it.
If your hardwood floor is made from bamboo there will be special floor cleaning products to use to keep it clean. These can usually be purchased from the manufacturer or the store that sold the floor to you. Hardwood floors made from bamboo are not any more difficult to clean than hardwood floors made from traditional hard wood products. They are extremely durable and will give your home a nice look for many years. In general, they really only require a damp mopping about once a week.